From Guesswork to Creative Flow:
How Ishan Transformed SANAM Studios with Trinnov Nova
When Ishan first stepped into the world of sound engineering back in 2007, he had no idea he’d one day be shaping the sound of one of India’s most beloved bands.
He began his journey in sound at SAE in Mumbai, and soon after, landed a six-month internship at Bluefrog Studios.
That internship quickly evolved into a full-time role as an assistant engineer, and Bluefrog became his crash course in everything from ads and films to full-scale music productions.
But it was mixing that truly hooked him.
“Mixing felt like the place where music came alive, so I kept honing that skill,” he recalls.
A few years later, fate introduced him to SANAM. While working with Vishal–Shekhar, the band had dropped by to record a track. A casual conversation after the session sparked a friendship that soon evolved into a creative partnership.
The Challenge: Chasing Accuracy in a Small Control Room
Even with a well-treated control room, Ishan felt something was missing: absolute trust in the monitoring setup.
“The room was sounding tight, but I wanted total precision at the sweet spot, especially in the lows. I wanted to completely eliminate room-related guesswork from our recordings and mixes.”
He had already been using Sonarworks Reference and had researched active bass trapping, but was looking for something more comprehensive. That’s when he discovered the Trinnov Nova.
First Encounter: A Veil Lifted
When Ishan reached out to Ansata, the team sent him a demo unit of the Trinnov Nova for a week-long trial.
“My first impression after calibration? It felt like a veil had been lifted. The stereo image was impeccable, the lows were super tight, the low-mids were de-muddied, and the top end was open and pristine. Even the reverbs and delays sat in a new dimension. It was a jaw-dropping transformation.”
From Guesswork to Creative Flow
Installation and calibration turned out to be seamless thanks to the Nova desktop app.
“As long as you have the right cables and follow the instructions, it’s hard to go wrong.”
But the real magic was in what happened next.
“After calibration, the guesswork was gone. Every mix decision became precise. Mic choice and placement during recording suddenly felt effortless. Creativity flowed again, and decision-making became lightning-fast.
Sound selection and mic decisions are critical during production. With Nova, we instantly know if something works for the song or not, and that allows us to be more adventurous creatively.
Once you hear Nova, you can’t un-hear it. The difference is profound. If precision, speed, and creativity matter to you, it’s worth setting it up in your own space and experiencing it firsthand.”
Why Experiencing The Nova Matters
For Ishan, hearing the Nova in his own studio was the turning point.
“The full scope of Trinnov’s calibration can only be appreciated in your own room. It’s not just a technical upgrade, it completely changes how you hear, decide, and create. That week with the demo gave me the clarity and confidence to move forward.”